Recession Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken is an easy and inexpensive meal perfect for any weeknight dinner. Its versatile nature allows you to spice up your chicken any way you like. And as you might have seen last night on Top Chef, Roast Chicken isn't only for us paupers. Even Fabio and Lidia Bastianich enjoy cooking and eating a mean Roast Chicken.

I decided to make a classic roast chicken so that I could use part of the chicken for other meals I intended to eat this week. I believe this picture proves that there are very few ingredients and steps involved in making a delicious and succulent roast chicken. For this recipe, I used about four pounds of chicken, which is twice the amount that I would normally cook, so that I could use the chicken for a chili recipe. Though, it's not a bad idea to throw in additional chicken, as you can use it for chicken salad, to throw in a soup, or even to just eat over mixed greens. I prefer to cook larger quantities at once and then either use the leftovers for other dishes or pop them in the freezer.

RECESSION ROAST CHICKEN

Ingredients (Total Cost $7-10 for 3 servings)

• 2 lbs split chicken (bone-in)
• 1-2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 red potato, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 lemon
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Preparations

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop or dice all of your vegetables and the rosemary.
2. Rinse your chicken with water, making sure to clean underneath the skin and then dry off with paper towels.
3. Rub the chicken with a thin layer of Olive Oil, just enough to coat on both sides. Then sprinkle a fair amount of salt and pepper on either side and place the chicken in your baking dish.
4. Roll the lemon vertically on your counter (to centralize the juices), cut it in half and then squeeze the lemon over the chicken. After the lemon has been juiced, slice the lemon in 6 small pieces.
5. Place the cut lemon slices and a few tablesoons of freshly chopped rosemary underneath the skin of the chicken on each piece.
6. Lastly, distribute the chopped pieces of onion, potato, and carrot on the top and sides of the chicken. Feel free to sprinkle on some additional rosemary, salt, and pepper. You may also pour a small amount of chicken broth at the bottom of the pan which will make your chicken more tender.
7. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven COVERED for 45 minutes.
8. After the initial 45 minutes, uncover the chicken and bake for another 30 minutes.
9. After the 30 minute period your chicken should be juicy and flavorful on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. Feel free to serve your chicken with any green vegetable and enjoy!